Menses Specific Absorbent Systems

ABSTRACT

A personal care absorbent article such as a disposable diaper, sanitary pad or tampon, wound dressing or bandage which includes a nonwoven web material made from a plurality of polymeric fibers having at least one treatment chemistry suitable for modifying at least one characteristic of a high viscoelasticity fluid upon contact with the high viscoelasticity fluid. In accordance with one particularly preferred embodiment, the treatment chemistry is suitable for immobilizing the high viscoelasticity fluid within the nonwoven web material.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of provisional U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 60/207,512 filed 26 May 2000 and U.S. provisionalpatent application Ser. No. 60/207,513 filed 26 May 2000.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to treatment chemicals and systems which arecapable of altering the properties of high viscosity materialsincluding, but not limited to, bodily exudates such as menstrual fluid,blood and fecal matter, and disposable absorbent articles such asdisposable diapers, training pants, incontinence garments, femininehygiene products including sanitary pads and tampons, bandages, wounddressings, wipes and the like employing such treatment chemicals andsystems. These articles typically employ polymeric fibers which may beformed into nonwoven fabrics, textiles or bans and the like. Inaddition, this invention relates to means for incorporating suchtreatment chemicals and systems into an absorbent material and arrangingfor its use in the disposable absorbent articles so as to providediscrete functions such as fluid intake, distribution, retention orshaping, or to provide multiple functions such as fluidintake/distribution or fluid intake/distribution/retention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Fibrous materials used to deliver widely varying agents are well knownand readily available for many purposes. Examples include wet wipes,disinfecting bandages and cleaning implements, and personal careabsorbent articles such as disposable diapers, sanitary pads and tamponsand the like.

In addition, the incorporation of additives such as surfactants into thefibrous materials to enhance control of absorbed fluids is also known. Anonwoven web material with improved softness comprising monofilaments orfibers of a thermoplastic material to which a wetting agent such ascationic, anionic, and nonionic surfactants are added is taught by U.S.Pat. No. 4,753,834 to Braun et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,690 to Cohen etal. teaches a method of treating a low hydrohead fibrous porous webmaterial to increase its retentive wettability in which a surface activeagent having a hydrophile-lipophile balance of at least about six isadhered to the low hydrohead fibrous porous web material and a coronadischarge equivalent to a charge of at least about 0.6 watt minute persquare foot per side of the web material is applied to the surfaceactive agent bearing web material. Treated polymer fabrics havingimproved wicking/wetting characteristics comprising a hydrophobicpolymer fabric treated with a wetting agent are taught by U.S. Pat. No.5,209,966 to Lange et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,270 to Lal, and U.S. Pat.No. 5,219,644 to Lal et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,527,534 to Myhling teaches asponge capable of delivering an active pharmaceutical agent into thevaginal canal during insertion of the sponge, while the sponge isresident in the vagina and during removal from the vagina, wherein thesponge is a polyurethane foam in which a non-ionic surfactant, such asPluronic F68 is used in the polyurethane formulation to provide uniformdesired cell structure, density, tensile strength, porosity, and degreeof hydrophilicity. For menses and other blood-containing fluids,increases in surface wettability upon fluid contact is a major problem.This is due to protein deposition which occurs on virtually allmaterials, even highly hydrophobic surfaces such as TEFLON®. The onlysurfaces that have been shown to completely block protein absorption aresurfaces with covalently attached polyethylene oxide molecules. Thesesurfaces are highly wettable, however, and would promote fluidattachment and staining, even without protein binding.

Accordingly, there is a need for treatment chemistries and systems whichare capable of altering the properties of high viscosity materials in apredefined manner, and there is a need for means for incorporating suchtreatment chemistries and systems into fibrous nonwoven materials.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is one object of this invention to provide a nonwoven web materialwith at least one treatment chemistry which is capable of altering theproperties of high viscosity materials in a predefined manner.

It is another object of this invention to provide personal careabsorbent articles with at least one treatment chemistry which iscapable of altering the properties of high viscosity materials so as toenhance the performance and functionality of the personal care absorbentarticles. Altering the properties of high viscosity materials inaccordance with this invention refers to changes in, for example,viscosity, component cellular structure, and composition.

These and other objects of this invention are addressed by a personalcare absorbent article comprising a nonwoven web material comprising aplurality of polymeric fibers and comprising at least one treatmentchemistry suitable for modifying at least one property of a highviscoelasticity fluid upon contact with the high viscoelasticity fluid.The treatment chemistries may be disposed in the interior of thepolymeric fibers, on the surface of the polymeric fibers or within thenonwoven web material, such as in the interstices formed by thepolymeric fibers. It will be apparent that numerous dispositions of thetreatment chemistries as well as disposition of the fibers comprisingthe treatment chemistries within the nonwoven web material, dependingupon the objective of the placement within the nonwoven web material,are possible. Thus, the polymeric fibers may be multicomponent fibers inwhich the treatment chemistries are disposed in fewer than all of thecomponents comprising the multicomponent fibers. And/or the treatedpolymeric fibers may be disposed throughout the nonwoven web material orwithin zones of the nonwoven web material depending upon the applicationof the nonwoven web material. And, still further, in the case ofmultilayer nonwoven web materials, the treatment chemistries may bedisposed in polymeric fibers comprising fewer than all of the layerscomprising the multilayer material.

Nonwoven web materials of this invention include, but are not limited inany way to, spunbond materials, meltblown materials, bonded carded webmaterials, air laid materials, bonded and unbonded pulp materials,conform materials and combinations thereof, for example, multilayermaterials and laminates.

The objects of this invention are also addressed by a method fortreating viscoelastic fluid whereby management of the viscoelastic fluidby an absorbent article is improved in which at least one portion of theabsorbent article is treated with a treatment chemistry suitable foraltering at least one property of the viscoelastic fluid after which theabsorbent article is contacted with the viscoelastic fluid, therebyaltering at least one property of the viscoelastic fluid or theinteraction of the viscoelastic fluid with the absorbent article. Forexample, rather than altering the viscoelastic fluid, the treatmentchemistry may alter the surface properties of the absorbent article asthe viscoelastic fluid is absorbed by the absorbent article or it maycombine with the viscoelastic fluid to form another composition, such asa coating on portions of the absorbent article.

Suitable treatment chemistries for use in the nonwoven web materials ofthis invention include gelling agents, which typically are used toincrease the viscosity or elasticity of a fluid, mucolytic agents, whichtypically are used to decrease the viscosity or elasticity of a fluid,agglutinizing agents, which typically are used to alter the physicalstate of red blood cells, lysing agents, which typically are used tobreak apart red blood cells and plasma precipitators, which typicallyare used for rapid precipitation of blood plasma proteins.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects and features of this invention will be betterunderstood from the following detailed description taken in conjunctionwith the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a typical personal care absorbentarticle;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a method for producing multicomponentfibers of this invention and webs formed therefrom;

FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C are schematic cross-sectional views ofside-by-side, sheath/core, and islands-in-the-sea multicomponent fibersof the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an alternative sheath/coremulticomponent fiber arrangement in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing disposition of a gelling agent within thecentral region of an absorbent article;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing disposition of a gelling agent alongside orwithin the edges of the absorbent core of an absorbent article;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing disposition of a gelling agent alongside orwithin the ends of the absorbent core of an absorbent article; and

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing disposition of gelling agents in a centralregion or within a relatively open, low basis weight component of anabsorbent article.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

While this invention will be described in connection with preferred andother embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended tolimit the invention to those embodiments. On the contrary, it isintended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as maybe included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined bythe appended claims.

DEFINITIONS

As used herein, the term “comprising” is open and includes not onlyrecited elements, components or steps, but also any additional elements,components or steps that do not prevent operation of the invention asdescribed.

As used herein, the term “nonwoven web” or “nonwoven material” means amaterial having a structure of individual fibers or threads which areinterlaid, but not in an identifiable manner, as in a knitted fabric.Nonwoven materials or webs have been formed from many processes such as,for example, spunbonding processes, meltblowing processes, and bondedcarded web processes. The basis weight of nonwoven fabrics is usuallyexpressed in grams per square meter (gam) and the fiber diameters areusually expressed in microns.

As used herein, the term “spunbond fibers” refers to small diameterfibers which are formed by extruding molten thermoplastic material asfilaments from a plurality of fine, usually circular capillaries of aspinneret, with the diameter of the extruded filaments then beingrapidly reduced as by, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,563 to Appelet al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,692,618 to Dorschner et al., U.S. Pat. No.3,802,817 to Matsuki et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,338,992 and 3,341,394 toKinney, U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,763 to Hartmann, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,542,615to Dobo et al. Spunbond fibers are generally not tacky when they aredeposited onto a collecting surface. Spunbond fibers are generallycontinuous and have average diameters (from a sample of at least 10)larger than 7 microns, more particularly, between about 10 and 50microns. The fibers may also have shapes such as those described in U.S.Pat. No. 5,277,976 to Hogle et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,466,410 to Hills,and U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,970 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,057,368 to Largman etal., which describe hybrids with unconventional shapes. A nonwoven webof spunbond fibers produced by melt spinning is referred to as a“spunbond”.

As used herein, the term “meltblowing” refers to a process in whichfibers are formed by extruding a molten thermoplastic material through aplurality of fine, usually circular, die capillaries as molten threadsor filaments into converging high velocity, usually heated, gas (forexample air) streams which attenuate the filaments of moltenthermoplastic material to reduce their diameter, which may be tomicrofiber diameter. Thereafter, the meltblown fibers length of thebicomponent fibers. The configuration of such a bicomponent fiber maybe, for example, a sheath/core arrangement wherein one polymer issurrounded by another, or may be a side-by-side arrangement, a piearrangement, or an “islands-in-the-sea” arrangement. Bicomponent fibersare taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,820 to Kaneko et al., U.S. Pat. No.4,795,668 to Krueger, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,992 to Marcher et al.,and U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,552 to Strack et al. Bicomponent fibers are alsotaught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,400 to Pike et at, and may be used toproduce crimp in the fibers by using the differential rates of expansionand contraction of the two (or more) polymers. For two component fibers,the polymers are desirably present in ratios of 75/25 to 25/75 or anyother desired ratio and, as an example, may be 50/50. Fibers formed oftwo or more segments of the same polymer, such as a polypropylene(PP)/PP fiber are considered to be monocomponent fibers.

As used herein, the term “biconstituent fibers” refers to fibers whichhave been formed from at least two polymers extruded from the sameextruder as a blend. The term “blend” is defined below. Biconstituentfibers do not have the various polymer components arranged in relativelyconstantly positioned distinct zones across the cross-sectional area ofthe fiber and the various polymers are usually not continuous along theentire length of the fiber, instead usually forming fibrils which startand end at random. Biconstituent fibers are sometimes also referred toas multiconstituent fibers. Fibers of this general type are discussedin, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,827 to Lessner. Bicomponent andbiconstituent fibers are also discussed in the textbook Polymer Blendsand Composites by John A. Manson and Leslie H. Sperling, copyright 1976by Plenum Press, a division of Plenum Publishing Corporation, New York,N.Y., IBSN 0-306-30831-2, at pages 273 through 277.

As used herein, the term “personal care absorbent article” meansdisposable diapers, training pants, absorbent underpants, adultincontinence products, feminine hygiene products, including sanitarypads and tampons, bandages, wound dressings, wipes, and the like.

As used herein, the term “treatment chemistry” refers to a compound orcomposition that is capable of forming, by itself or in combination as ablend or mixture with another compound or composition as an agend, anextrudable melt component of a multicomponent fiber, or a compound thatcan be suspended in the spin dope of one or more polymers in a wet ordry spinning process and thereafter being activated to produce anintended affect under intended use conditions. Also, the term refers toa compound or composition which may be applied onto the surface of anabsorbent article, onto the surface of one or more elements of anabsorbent article or within the interior of the absorbent article, butexternal to the components, such as polymeric fibers, employed inproducing the absorbent article or elements of the absorbent article. Inaddition, in combination with a positive displacement carrier, thetreatment chemistries are capable under use conditions of blooming ordiffusing to the surface of the multicomponent fiber in an amount andwithin a time required to achieve the intended result.

As used herein, the term “positive displacement carrier” means acompound or composition that, when combined with a treatment chemistryunder conditions of use, will cause the treatment chemistry to bedispensed by, for example, diffusing or blooming from the combination ata desired rate.

As used herein, the term “agend” means a composition containing atreatment chemistry and a positive displacement carrier that may, eitherby itself, or in combination with another component be formed into afiber by any one or more of the above-described processes. Thus, theagend may form a monocomponent fiber, a multicomponent fiber with one ormore other components, or a biconstituent fiber, for example. The amountof treatment chemistry in an agend will depend on the chemistry and theintended use, and the additional positive displacement carrier of theagend will be determined by these factors as well as the ability of thecomposition as a whole to release the treatment chemistry in acontrolled manner.

As used herein, the term “intake” refers to the ability of an absorbentarticle to absorb fluid. Intake time is used to assess the quality ofabsorption with lower intake times denoting materials capable of rapidabsorption and higher intake times denoting materials with poorerabsorption.

As used herein, the term “proteinaceous fluids” refers to a fluid thatcontains protein or protein breakdown products such as blood or menses.For purposes of evaluation of the material treatment system of thisinvention, a menstrual simulant, the preparation of which is discussedhereinbelow, was utilized which has similar properties to menstrualdischarge.

As used herein, the term “high viscoelasticity material” refers to amaterial having a viscosity greater than about 0.1 poise and/or anelasticity greater than about 0.02 poise. Included within the scope ofthis term are menstrual fluids, blood and runny fecal matter.

“High viscoelastic simulant” or “menses simulant” is a material whichsimulates the viscoelastic and other properties of menses. The firststep in preparing a high viscoelastic biological simulant is to prepare120 mL of ovomucin by separating the yolk and egg whites of about onedozen large eggs, saving the egg white and removing the white strand ofegg white. The egg whites are filtered one time using a 2 mm nylon meshby placing the egg whites on the filter and allowing them to set on themesh for 5 minutes while gently moving the egg white on the filter. 120ml of thick egg white is then placed in a 300 ml transfer bag followedby the addition of 80 ml of plasma into the 300 ml transfer bag andgentle mixing of the solution by band until it looks fairly homogeneous.The solution is placed into a Stomacher mixer (Stomacher 400 LaboratoryBlender, Seward Medical, London SE1 1PP UK) at a low setting for 60seconds. From there, the mixture is placed into a dialysis bag havingdialysis clips on each end in a manner which minimizes the amount of airin the bag. Preferably no air should be in the bag. (It should be notedthat to open the dialysis bag, the dialysis bag needs to be immersed indistilled water for 1 minute.) The filled bag is weighed (initial wt.),placed into a trough with Superabsorbent Polymer (Favor 880 Stockhausen,Inc. 2401 Doyle Street Greensboro, N.C. 27406) covering the bag on allsides and refrigerated for 6 hours. Thereafter, the superabsorbent withwater is rinsed off and the bag dried thoroughly. The bag is reweighed(weight loss is typically about 46-50 grams), and the volume of fluidafter dialysis is measured using a 60 cc syringe. Next, swine blood iscentrifuged at 3000 rpm, 20° C. for 30 minutes. The plasma is separatedfrom red blood cells with a disposable pipette. The red blood cells aresaved and a 70% mixture of ovomucin/plasma and 30% red blood cells ismade. The mixture is gently mixed on a magnetic plate and the resultingsolution put into a transfer bag (marking down the volume). Using asyringe, excess air in the bag is removed and the mixture manuallygently mixed for 5 minutes. The mixture is then refrigerated for 24hours before use.

To use the simulant for testing, it is warmed for 10 minutes at 22° C.in a water bath before testing. The simulant is manually mixed in thebag for 4 minutes (no visual separation should be seen), the amountneeded for testing removed and placed in a beaker. The simulant is thenmixed using a magnetic stirrer (on lowest setting) for 5 minutes.

“Low viscoelastic simulant” or “menses simulant” is another materialwhich simulates the viscoelastic and other properties of menses. Toprepare the fluid, blood, such as defibrillated swine blood, isseparated by centrifuge at 3000 rpm for 30 minutes, although othermethods or speeds and times may be used if effective. The plasma isseparated and stored separately, the buffy coat removed and discarded,and the packed red blood cells stored separately as well. Eggs, such asjumbo chicken eggs, are separated, the yoke and chalazae discarded, andthe egg white retained. The egg white is separated into thick and thinportions by straining the white through a 1000 micron nylon mesh forabout three minutes, and the thinner portion discarded. Alternative meshsizes may be used, and the time or method may be varied provided theviscosity is at least that required. The thick portion of egg whitewhich was retained on the mesh is collected and drawn into 60 ccsyringes which are then placed on a programmable syringe pump and thefluid homogenized by expelling and refilling the contents five times. Inour case, the amount of homogenization was controlled by the syringepump rate of about 100 ml/min, and the tubing inside diameter of about0.12 inches. After homogenizing, the thick egg white has a viscosity ofabout 20 centipoise at 150 sec-1 and it is then centrifuged to removedebris and air bubbles. After centrifuging, 80 mL of the thickhomogenized egg white, which contains ovomucin, is added to a 300 ccFENWAL Transfer Pack using a syringe. Then, GO cc of the swine plasma isadded to the transfer pack. The transfer pack is clamped, all airbubbles removed, and placed in a Stomacher lab blender in which it isblended at normal (or medium) speed for about two minutes. The transferpack is then removed from the blender, 60 cc of swine red blood cellsare added, and the contents mixed by hand kneading for about twominutes, or until the contents appear homogeneous. The final mixture hasa red blood cell content of about 30 volume percent and generally is atleast within the range of 28-32 volume percent for artificial menses.The amount of egg white is about 40 weight percent.

The nonwoven web material in accordance with one embodiment of thisinvention comprises a plurality of polymeric fibers comprising one ormore treatment chemistries suitable for modifying one or more propertiesof a high viscoelasticity fluid upon contact with the highviscoelasticity fluid. For many applications, the fiber formingcomponent of the treatment chemistry-containing fiber of this inventionwill be selected from typical thermoplastic polymers such aspolyolefins, including polyethylene, polypropylene, copolymers andblends of these, polyesters, including polyethyleneterephthalate,polyamides, including nylons, and various elastomers and plastomers suchas polyurethanes and polyesters as are known to those skilled in theart. Because of the experience with these polymers in forming fibers andbecause they are readily available at low cost, polyolefins willfrequently be the choice for the fiber forming component.

For other applications where melt processes are unsuitable, variouspolymers that can be dissolved in aqueous or nonaqueous solvents canalso serve as fiber forming components. Aqueous based polymer systemssuch as polyvinyl alcohol, sodium alginate, chitosan, polyvinylpyrrolidone, hydroxymethyl cellulose and the like or non-aqueous basedpolymer systems such as polyurethane, ethylene vinyl acetate, acrylicbased polymers, chitin, ethylcellulose, polyacrylonitrile, and the likecan be used.

A wide variety of disposable absorbent articles for collecting bodilyfluids, which articles typically comprise nonwoven web materials, areknown in the art. Commercial absorbent articles include disposablediapers, sanitary napkins, training pants, and incontinent care pads,wound dressings, and the like. Disposable products of this type includesome functional elements for receiving, absorbing, and retaining fluids.Typically, such absorbent articles have an absorbent core containingcellulosic fibers, for example, wood pulp fluff, particles of highlyabsorbent materials, for example, superabsorbents, and an admixture ofcellulosic fibers and superabsorbents. Typically, such articles includea fluid-permeable cover sheet or topsheet which typically faces the bodyof the user, an absorbent core, and a fluid-impermeable backsheet.

Cover sheet materials are utilized for the transport of bodily fluidsinto the absorbent core of personal care absorbent articles and, thus,materials used for cover sheet applications must manage distinctlydifferent body excretions, depending upon the application and theproduct type. Some products must manage fluids, such as urine, whileothers must manage proteinaceous and viscoelastic fluids, such asmenstrual discharge and fecal matter. The management of viscoelasticmenstrual discharge by feminine care products such as sanitary pads andnapkins is exacerbated due to the variations in composition and rheologyover a broad range of elasticity. Fluid management in feminine careapplications requires control of absorption of bodily fluids, control offluid retention in the cover, control of stain size and intensity,control of rewet of fluid back to the surface, and control of therelease of fluid to the absorbent core.

Menstrual discharges are composed of blood, vaginal or cervicalsecretions and endometrial tissues, also called clots. The vaginalsecretions are mainly composed of mucins. The proportions of the variouscomponents of menstrual fluid vary from woman to woman and from periodto period. The proportions of these components also depend upon the ageof the woman, the activity of the woman and the method of birth controlused by the woman. As a result, the fluid composition can vary from 30to 70% blood, 10 to 50% cervical secretions, and 0 to 30% endometrialtissues.

Mucin and endometrial tissues are two components that are not easilyabsorbed into a porous structure made of standard nonwoven materials.These two highly viscous and elastic components are often responsiblefor cover smearing on a pad and premature leakage (leakage without highcontent fluid loading in the pad). There are several factors whichinfluence the flow of liquids in fibrous structures including thegeometry of the pore structure in the fabrics, the nature of the solidsurface (surface energy, surface charge, etc.), the geometry of thesolid surface (surface roughness, grooves, etc.), the chemical/physicaltreatment of the solid surface, and the chemical nature of the fluid.

In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, at least one of thetreatment chemistries suitable for use in the nonwoven web materials ofthis invention is a mucolytic agent. It is believed that the mucolyticagent breaks down some critical disulfide intramolecular and/orintermolecular bonds in the mucus glyco-protein or mucin component ofthe menstrual fluid, thereby significantly decreasing theviscoelasticity of the mucus. Suitable mucolytic agents comprise amaterial selected from the group consisting of cysteine, thioglycolates,dithiotriacol, as well as other sulfur-containing thiol materials andcombinations and mixtures thereof at a suitable pH.

Personal care absorbent articles in accordance with this inventiontypically include a fluid pervious cover sheet 5, a fluid imperviousback sheet 6 and an absorbent core 7 disposed between the fluid perviouscover sheet and the fluid impervious back sheet as shown in FIG. 1.

Materials used in the production of these personal care absorbentarticles include nonwoven web materials which may be produced by anymethod known to those skilled in the art for producing nonwoven webmaterials. The fibers from which the nonwoven web materials may be madeare produced, for example, by meltblowing or spunbonding processes,including those processes producing multicomponent, biconstituent orpolymer blend fibers which are well known in the art. These processesgenerally use an extruder to supply melted thermoplastic polymer to aspinneret where the polymer is fiberized to yield fibers which may bestaple length or longer. The fibers are then drawn, usuallypneumatically, and deposited on a moving foraminous mat or belt to formthe nonwoven fabric.

Referring, for example, to FIG. 2, a process line 10 for preparing apreferred embodiment of the fibers of this invention is shown. Theprocess line 10 is arranged to produce bicomponent continuous filaments,but it should be understood that the present invention comprehendsnonwoven fabrics made with monocomponent agend filaments as well asmulticomponent filaments having more than two components. For example,the fiber or fabric of the present invention can be made with filamentshaving three or four components. The process line 10 includes a pair ofextruders 12 a and 12 b for separately extruding a fiber forming polymercomponent A as described herein and an agend component B. Polymercomponent A is fed into the respective extruder 12 b from a secondhopper 14 b. Polymer component A and component B are fed from extruders12 a and 12 b through respective polymer conduits 16 a and 16 b to aspinneret 18. Spinnerets for extruding bicomponent filaments are wellknown to those of ordinary skill in the art and, thus, are not describedhere in detail. Generally described, the spinneret 18 includes a housingcontaining a spin pack which includes a plurality of plates stacked oneon top of the other with a pattern of openings arranged to create flowpaths for directing components A and B separately through the spinneret.The spinneret 18 has openings arranged in one or more rows. Thespinneret openings form a downwardly extending curtain of filaments whenthe polymers are extruded through the spinneret. For the purposes ofthis invention, spinneret 18 may be configured to form side-by-side,sheath/core or islands-in-the-sea bicomponent filaments as shown inFIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C as well as modified sheath/core combinations such asshown in FIG. 4.

The process line 10 also includes quench blower 20 positioned adjacentthe curtain of filaments extending from the spinneret 18. Air from thequench blower 20 quenches the filaments extending from the spinneret 18.The air can be directed from one side of the filament curtain as shownin FIG. 1, or both sides of the filament curtain. A fiber draw unit oraspirator 22 is positioned below the spinneret 18 and receives thequenched filaments. Fiber draw units or aspirators for use in theprocess of this invention include a linear fiber aspirator of the typeshown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,817 and eductive guns of the type shown inU.S. Pat. Nos. 3,692,618 and 3,423,266, the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Generallydescribed, the fiber draw unit 22 includes an elongate vertical passagethrough which the filaments are drawn by aspirating air entering fromthe sides of the passage and flowing downwardly through the passage. Aheater 24 supplies hot aspirating air to the fiber draw unit 22. The hotaspirating air draws the filaments and ambient air through the fiberdraw unit. An endless foraminous forming surface 26 is positioned belowthe fiber draw unit 22 and receives the continuous filaments from theoutlet opening of the fiber draw unit. The forming surface 26 travelsaround guide rollers 28. A vacuum 30 positioned below the fanningsurface 26 where the filaments are deposited draws the filaments againstthe forming surface. The process line 10 further includes a compressionroller 32 which, along with the forwardmost of the guide rollers 28,receive the web as the web is drawn off of the forming surface 26. Inaddition, the process line includes a bonding apparatus such as thermalpoint bonding rollers 34 (shown in phantom) or through-air bonder 36.Thermal point bonders and through-air bonders are well known to thoseskilled in the art and are not described here in detail. Generallydescribed, the through-air bonder 36 includes a perforated roller 38,which receives the web, and a hood 40 surrounding the perforated roller.Lastly, the process line includes a winding roll 42 for taking up thefinished product.

To operate the process line 10, hoppers 14 a and 14 b are filled withthe respective polymer component A and agend B. Polymer component A andagend B are melted and extruded by the respective extruders 12 a and 12b through polymer conduits 16 a and 16 b and the spinneret 18. Althoughthe temperatures of the molten polymers vary depending on the polymersused, when polypropylene and polyethylene are used as component A andpart of agend B respectively, the preferred temperatures of, thepolymers range from about 370° to about 530° F. and preferably rangefrom about 400° to about 450° F. As the extruded filaments extend belowthe spinneret 18, a stream of air from quench blower 20 at leastpartially quenches the filaments and, if desired, may develop a latenthelical crimp in the filaments. The quench air preferably flows in adirection substantially perpendicular to the length of the filaments ata temperature of about 45° to about 90° F. and a velocity from about 100to about 400 feet per minute. After quenching, the filaments are drawninto the vertical passage of the fiber draw unit 22 by a flow of hot airfrom the heater 24 through the fiber draw unit. The fiber draw unit ispreferably positioned 30 to 60 inches below the bottom of the spinneret18. If crimp is desired, the temperature of the air supplied from theheater 24 is sufficient that, after some cooling due to mixing withcooler ambient air aspirated with the filaments, the air heats thefilaments to a temperature required to activate crimp. The temperaturerequired to activate crimp ranges from about 110° F. to a maximumtemperature less than the melting point of the lower melting componentwhich for through-air bonded materials is the second component B. Thetemperature of the air from the heater 24 and thus the temperature towhich the filaments are heated can be varied to achieve different levelsof crimp. Generally, a higher air temperature produces a higher numberof crimps. The ability to control the degree of crimp of the filamentsis a particularly advantageous feature because it allows one to changethe resulting density, pore size distribution and drape of the fabric bysimply adjusting the temperature of the air in the fiber draw unit. Thefilaments are deposited through the outlet opening of the fiber drawunit 22 onto the traveling forming surface 26. The vacuum 20 draws thefilaments against the forming surface 26 to form an unbonded, nonwovenweb of continuous filaments. The web is then lightly compressed by thecompression roller 32 and then thermal point bonded by rollers 34 orthrough-air bonded in through-air bonder 36. In the through-air bonder36, air having a temperature above the melting temperature of componentB and below the melting temperature of component A is directed from hood40, through the web, and into perforated roller 38. The hot air meltsthe lower melting polymer component of agend B and thereby forms bondsbetween the bicomponent filaments to integrate the web. Whenpolypropylene and polyethylene are used as polymer component A and partof agend B respectively, the air flowing through the through-air bonderpreferably has a temperature in the range of about 230° to about 280° F.and a velocity from about 100 to about 500 feet per minute. The dwelltime of the web in the through-air bonder is preferably less than about6 seconds. It should be understood, however, that the parameters of thethrough-air bonder depend on factors such as the type of polymers usedand the thickness of the web. Lastly, the finished web is wound onto thewinding roller 42 and is ready for further treatment or use.

Turning to FIG. 3A, there is shown a side-by-side bicomponent fiber incross-section showing the distribution of polymer A and agend componentB. FIG. 3B is a similar illustration of a sheath/core bicomponent fibershowing a core of polymer component A and a sheath of agend component B.FIG. 3C is a similar illustration of an islands-in-the-sea bicomponentfiber cross-section. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art,the components need not be circular and, for example, a star-shaped corecomponent can be used to provide increased surface contact betweencomponent A and B. Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a cross-sectionof a multicomponent agend fiber of the present invention having threecomponents in concentric arrangement. Component A can be a fiber-formingpolymer component as described above, and components B₁ and B₂ can bedifferent agends. For example, the outer component B₂, can be a rapiddispensing agend while middle component B₁ can be a slower dispensingagend with the result that an extended dispensing period is providedwhile, at the same time, providing an immediate dosage.

Alternatively, the nonwoven web may be a bonded carded web. Bondedcarded webs are made from staple fibers, which are usually purchased inbales. The bales are placed in a picker, which separates the fibers.Then, the fibers are sent through a combing or carding unit, whichfurther breaks apart and aligns the staple fibers in the machinedirection to form a generally machine direction-oriented fibrousnonwoven web. Once the web is formed, it is then bonded by one or moreof several known bonding methods, such as powder bonding wherein apowdered adhesive is distributed through the web and then activated byheating the web and adhesive with hot air or some other heat source,pattern bonding wherein heated calendar rolls or ultrasonic bondingequipment are used to bond the fibers together, usually in a localizedbond pattern, though the web can be bonded across its entire surface, ifso desired, and through-air bonding.

As previously stated, menstrual discharges, in particular the mucins andendometrial tissue components thereof are not readily absorbed into aporous structure made of standard nonwoven materials, the result ofwhich is frequently cover smearing and/or premature leakage. Mucins areglycoproteins that form very long chains with many carbohydratebranches. The physical (mechanical entanglement) and chemical (disulfidebonds, ionic reactions, hydrogen bonding) interactions between theselong molecular chains result in the formation of very thick, stringy,clear and viscous fluids called cervical mucus.

The use of L-cysteine, like other reducing agents, to reduce disulfidebonds is well known in the literature. A similar compound,N-acetylcysteine, is used as a mucolytic agent to improve clearance incystic fibrosis and in cough medications, L-cysteine also plays severalcritical roles in the body. Its more important roles are protectingcells and cellular components against oxidative stress and indetoxification. L-cysteine is a natural sulphur-containing amino acidderivative found naturally in foods and is a powerful antioxidant. Thesedual properties help repair oxidative damage in the body. This has madethis nutrient of special interest to athletes for some time as heavyexercise increases oxidative damage in the body. The most recentresearch interests are in connection with AIDS and heart disease. Forthese reasons, L-cysteine is an amino acid used in some food supplementsand drugs.

Chemical alteration of the mucus glycoprotein can produce a thinnerfluid that can be easily absorbed in porous nonwoven structures. Thenonwoven web material in accordance with one embodiment of thisinvention employs a reducing agent, such as L-cysteine, to break downthe long glycoprotein into smaller segments. L-cysteine breaks downcritical disulfide bonds in the mucus glycoprotein.

Bench test results indicate that L-cysteine is very effective atthinning the mucus glycoprotein, thereby allowing a rapid intake of verythick mucus-containing fluid. By breaking down some critical disulfideintra and/or intermolecular bonds in the mucus glycoprotein, theL-cysteine significantly decreases the viscoelasticity of the mucus.Thus, the use of this invention can improve the intake rate of menstrualfluid in sanitary pads and tampons, allow the reduced mucus component towick horizontally instead of staying confined at the insult point, andreduce premature leakage and cover smearing. The use of this inventionas a treatment on the cover material and/or on the distribution layerwill allow improved absorbency in a feminine care absorbent product. Inaddition, this invention may be used on a cover material in combinationwith cover topography and geometry to allow, simultaneously, fasterintake rate, better dryness and lower rewet.

One method for determining the effectiveness of a reducing agent inbreaking down the disulfide intra and/or intermolecular bonds in themucus glycoprotein is the use of ANS (8-Anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonate),a substance that fluoresces in a non-aqueous environment but not in anaqueous environment. If the hydrophobic sites of a protein areaccessible, then ANS will fluoresce, if the number of hydrophobic sitesincreases, the fluorescence also increases. An increase of hydrophobicsites indicates that the protein is being broken down. Indirectly, anincrease in ANS emission indicates that the mucin protein has beenreduced.

The direct addition of 2% by volume L-cysteine to menstrual fluidsimulants produces a rapid decrease in the viscoelasticity of the fluid.Tables 1 and 2 hereinbelow show the effects of 2% by volume L-cysteineon both high and low viscoelasticity menses simulants, five (5) minutesafter addition, using a Vilastics III rheometer available from VilasticScientific, Inc. located in Austin, Tex. operating at a frequency of 0.1Hz.

TABLE 1 Reduction of Viscoelastic Components of High Viscoelastic MensesSimulant After 5 Minutes Incubation with 2% by Volume L-cysteine SampleViscosity (Poise) Elasticity (Poise) Control (undiluted) 0.8 0.75 2%Cysteine 0.15 0.04

TABLE 2 Reduction of Viscoelastic Components of Low Viscoelastic MensesSimulant After 5 Minutes Incubation With 2% by Volume L-cysteine SampleViscosity (Poise) Elasticity (Poise) Control (undiluted) 0.32 0.23 2%Cysteine 0.14 0.05

One problem associated with absorbent articles intended for use inhandling fluids comprising blood components such as feminine careproducts and wound dressings is the tendency of red blood cells to blockthe pores of the materials used for absorption of fluids in suchproducts. Typical of such porous materials are nonwoven or fibrous webmaterials. The blockage of the pores of the nonwoven or fibrous webmaterials by the red blood cells results in a reduction in the fluidintake and the wicking capabilities of such products. In addition, inthe case of feminine care products such as sanitary pads and napkins,the blockage of pores of nonwoven materials used therein by red bloodcells results in increased staining. In the case of feminine careproducts comprising superabsorbents, the red blood cells attachthemselves to the superahsorbents, resulting in blockage of thesuperabsorbents and a significant reduction in fluid uptake.

To address these issues, the nonwoven web material in accordance withone embodiment of this invention is treated with a fluid treatment agentwhereby red blood cells within a blood-containing fluid absorbed by theabsorbent material are agglomerated or lysed. In accordance with oneembodiment of this invention, the fluid treatment agent is anagglutinizing (agglomerating) agent which causes the red blood cells inthe blood-containing fluid to agglomerate, thereby enabling them to bephysically separated from the blood-containing fluid, leaving a fluidthat is easier to absorb and less strongly colored. In accordance withanother embodiment of this invention, the fluid treatment agent is acell lysing agent.

In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, the nonwoven webmaterial comprises a gradient of pore sizes produced by layering ofnonwoven web layers, each layer of which has an average pore sizedifferent from the average pore sizes of other nonwoven web layers,forming a porosity gradient nonwoven web material. When disposed betweenthe cover sheet and the liquid impervious backing material of a personalcare absorbent article, the porosity gradient nonwoven web material isdisposed such that larger average pore sizes are oriented toward thecover sheet and the average pore size of the nonwoven web materialdecreases in the direction of the liquid impervious backing material. Asa result, the porosity gradient nonwoven web material acts as a “depthfilter” wherein the agglomerated red blood cells become trapped withinthe larger size pores of the porosity gradient nonwoven web material.However, care must be taken in selecting the pore size gradient toinsure that the fluid separated from the agglomerated red blood cells isstill able to pass by trapped particles or clumps of red blood cells,thereby enabling further distribution of the fluid within the personalcare absorbent article as desired, for example, to a superabsorbent.

One of the benefits of this invention derives from the fact that the redblood cells of a blood-containing fluid, having come into contact withthe fluid treatment agent, are no longer able to block the flow offluids into the superabsorbents that may be present. This isparticularly surprising in the case where the red blood cells are lysedbecause, unlike agglomerated cells which may become trapped within thepores of the nonwoven material, resulting in their separation from theremaining fluid components, i.e. plasma, the components of the lysedcells remain in the fluid but apparently are no longer able to attachthemselves to the superabsorbents.

To provide separation of the red blood cells from the blood-containingfluids absorbed into the personal care absorbent article in accordancewith one embodiment of this invention, the porous nonwoven web materialis treated with a fluid treatment agent which is an agglutinizing agentwhich causes the red blood cells to clump upon coming into contact withthe agglomerating agent. Suitable agglutinizing fluid treatment agentsfor use in the personal care absorbent article of this inventioninclude, but are not limited to, antibodies, polycationic materials,that is highly positively charged polymers, and tri-block copolymers ofpolypropylene oxide and polyethylene oxide. One particularly suitabletri-block copolymer goes under the commercial name of PLURONIC® F-98available from BASF (Germany) and constitutes a particularly preferredembodiment of this invention, PLURONIC F-98 is a tri-block copolymersurfactant of 80% by weight polyethylene oxide and 20% by weightpolypropylene oxide having a molecular weight of about 9000.

Investigations which we have conducted have shown that greater thanabout a 1% by weight PLURONIC F-98 solution is required to agglomeratered blood cells in blood and menses. In accordance with a particularlypreferred embodiment of this invention, the agglomerating fluidtreatment agent is a 2% by weight solution of PLURONIC F-98.

Examples

One gram of a 20% solution of PLURONIC® F-98 was mixed with blood and 3grams of the resulting mixture were applied to a piece of polyethylenefilm. After five minutes, the blood was drained off. Observation of the“treated” blood under a microscope revealed that the red blood cells badagglomerated without lysing.

As a result of treatment of the porous nonwoven web material with anagglomerating fluid treatment agent, the red blood cells clump togetherand are “filtered” out of the menses or blood as a result of beingtrapped in the pores of the nonwoven web material. In accordance withone preferred embodiment of this invention, the nonwoven web materialcomprises a porosity gradient which acts as a “depth filter”. Theremaining fluid, without the sulfosuccinate available from McIntyreGroup, anionic STANDOPOL SH124-3, a sulfosuccinate available fromHenkel/Cospha, and anionic HAMPOSYL L-30, a sarcosinate available fromHampshire Chemical, Lexington, Mass.

In accordance with a particularly preferred embodiment of thisinvention, the red blood cell lysing agent is a water soluble saponin, ahigh molecular weight glycoside comprising a sugar part linked to atriterpene or steroid aglycone. A suitable saponin produced fromquillaja bark is available from Sigma Chemical Company, St. Louis, Mo.

The leaking of even small amounts of menses is unacceptable in a femcareproduct such as a pad or tampon because the menses is intensely coloredand difficult to remove once it causes a stain. It is, thus, animportant goal to reduce leakage as much as possible. One method ofreducing leakage would be to modify the menses so that it will not flow.This may be accomplished by increasing the viscosity and elasticity ofthe menses fluid. Two types of chemical additives have been shown toproduce this effect. Both types of agents interact with the fluid toproduce a gel. Thickeners interact with the water in the menses and theninteract with themselves to gel the menses. Cross-linking gels gel thesolution by cross-linking the protein molecules.

The mechanism of certain thickeners is to expose the fluid to bethickened to particles of the thickening agent and allow them to swelland bind to each other, thereby thickening and, eventually, gelling thefluid. In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, solublefibers or other similar particles are mixed into a target fluid. Solublefiber particles can be found in products like METAMUCIL® and CITRUCEL®among others, Additionally, they are an agricultural product used inhorse and human food. More particularly, 10% (by mass) Metamucil ismixed with water, creating an emulsion of psyllium husk particles (theactive ingredient) within the water, eventually creating a gel.Microscopy indicates that fibrils from a central crystal expand, or“bloom”, out into the fluid and entrap the water. Over time, the fibrilsbegin to lose their distinct boundaries and bind to adjacent fibrils.This binding is not permanent, as the emulsion will reconfigure if morefluid is added and sufficient mixing occurs. In another example, 10% (bymass) Metamucil is mixed with menses simulant. The mechanism and effectsappear to be the same as before except that they occur more rapidly.When applied to a rayon/cotton gauze pad, the gelled simulant onlyminimally wetted the pad. There was very little seepage through the thinspunlace, indicating good lock-up of the fluid. In yet anothersuccessful example, 10% (by mass) Metamucil was mixed with 0.2% salineand blood. The only effect observed with more viscoelastic fluids wasthat gelling occurs more rapidly. It will be appreciated that the use ofthickening particles differs from the use of superabsorbents inabsorbent articles in that they not only incorporate fluid into theirstructures, but they also bind to adjacent particles to form a bulk gel.In addition, they do not dissolve in solutions and they do not rely uponionic bonding to generate a gel network as is the case with, forexample, celquat.

As previously stated, absorbent articles in accordance with thisinvention typically comprise a fluid permeable cover, a fluidimpermeable backsheet and an absorbent core disposed between the fluidpermeable cover and the fluid impermeable backsheet. Each of thesecomponents may comprise one or a plurality of material layers.Thickening and gelling agents employed in accordance with this inventionmay be distributed throughout one or more layers of the absorbentarticle, or they may be distributed within a portion of one or morelayers of the absorbent article so as to refine the aspects of controlimparted to the absorbent article by the thickening and gelling agents.More particularly, the thickening and gelling agents may be locatedwithin a single component absorbent core, among different componentswithin a multicomponent absorbent core, or between different componentsof a multicomponent absorbent core to modify their effect on overallfluid handling within the article.

Incorporation of thickening and gelling agents into absorbent articlesfor the purpose of managing the flow of viscoelastic fluids within theabsorbent articles may be achieved in a variety of ways. They may beincorporated into the absorbent article on their own or by means ofairlaid, airformed, wetlaid, absorbent laminates, or nonwoven materials,such as spunbond, meltdown, coform and through-air bonded carded webs.In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, the thickeningand/or gelling agents are mixed at a prescribed concentration into thematerials, such as woven and nonwoven materials employed in theabsorbent articles, during the manufacturing process. Alternatively oradditionally, the thickening and gelling agents may be added directlyinto the product in the fluff forming unit or as an adhesively laminatedlayer during product production. Bemuse the thickening and gellingagents are soluble in water, solutions can be used to coat anyparticular part of the product. Coatings applied to the surface of theabsorbent article may be used to improve absorbency of the article.

In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, the gelling andthickening agents are applied in a pattern within a nonwoven material,thereby enabling two types of fluid control within the component. Inaccordance with another embodiment of this invention, the gelling andthickening agents are employed in specific areas of the absorbentarticle so as to restrict fluid movement within the article. As shown inFIG. 5, the gelling agent 102 may be disposed in a central location ofthe absorbent 101 of a feminine care product 100 to improve overallcontainment of menses, and therefore capacity, in that region of theproduct. As shown in FIG. 6, a gelling agent 105 may be disposedalongside or within the edges of the absorbent core 104 of a femininecare absorbent article 103, thereby gelling menses that is insulted orwicked into this area. In this manner, an effective barrier to fluidflow beyond the edge of the absorbent is created. Similarly, as shown inFIG. 7, gelling agents 108 may be located alongside or within the end ofthe absorbent core 107 of an absorbent article 106 to create aneffective fluid barrier at the ends of the absorbent core. The gellingagent may be varied in the z-direction of the product. The gelling agentmay also be disposed only in the cover or upper airlaid layer to controlstain size or in the middle or lower layers of a multi-layer absorbentto impart the barrier function for leakage prevention. Other types ofpatterning, such as the application to either the cover or the absorbentof the thickening or gelling agent in a checkerboard pattern, could beemployed whereby fluid encountering the areas that contain thethickening or gelling agent would start to gel while still permittingthe fluid flow through the areas that did not contain the gelling agent.FIG. 8 shows an absorbent article 109 having a cover 111, an absorbent110, an internal partial barrier 112, a baffle 114 and a backsheet 113with placement of gelling agents 112 in a central region or within arelatively open, low basis weight component of the absorbent article 109to eliminate or slow wicking of fluid to a component disposedtherebelow. By slowing the movement of the fluid to the bottom layer,the integrity of the bottom layer is preserved and overall product shapeis maintained throughout the wear time of the product.

The gelling or thickening agents may be adhered or bonded to abreathable baffle to prevent transfer of evaporated fluid through thecover. This would minimize condensation on the outside of the bafflewhich, in turn, would reduce dampness perception to the wearer.Similarly, the back film baffle could be coated with gelling orthickening agents to localize the menses at the very bottom of theproduct. Various parts of the cover could be coated to prevent themovement of menses through the sides of the cover and thereby centralizethe menses to the center of the pad. Similarly, the covering of sidewings could also be coated to prevent fluid from smearing off thesurface of the wings onto undergarments or skin. For all executions forplacement of gelling or thickening agents into the absorbent, the agentscould be added and fiber or bulk removed to provide equal fluid capacityin a thinner product execution. Such a thinner product would providegreater comfort and improved fit to the wearer.

Protein cross-linking agents gel the fluid by producing a matrix ofprotein and cationic polymers that is hydrated. We have found that allcationic polymers do not work equally well. Suitable ionicallycross-linking gelling agents for use in the personal care articles ofthis invention include celquat (National Starch and Chemical Company),UCARE polymers (Amercol division of Union Carbide) and chitosan(Vanson), which are mixed with a binder such as KYMENE® 557LX, a liquidbinder available from Fibervisions LLC and a non-debonded pulp (NB416)available from Weyerhaeuser Corporation of Tacoma, Wash. Other suitableliquid binders include ethylene vinyl acetate emulsion polymers sold byNational Starch and Chemical Company (Bridgewater, N.J.) under thetadename Dur-O-Set® ELITE® series (including ELITE® 33 and ELITE® 22).Air Products Polymers and Chemicals sells other suitable binder fibersunder the name AIRFLEX®. The celquat polymers appear to work the bestand, thus, are preferred. These include the L-200, H-100, SC-230 andSC-240, available from National Starch and Chemical Company. In eachcase, a polymer of glucose is connected with β (1→44) linkages (it hasbeen shown that α (1→4) linkages have much lower effectiveness). This istaken to mean that a relatively stiff polyglycan backbone producesincreased effectiveness. It is apparent that other polyglycan structuresthat have reduced rotation, and are therefore stiff, would also beeffective; or for that matter any polymer with reduced freedom ofmovement would suffice. Whatever the case may be, the stiff backbone haspositive charges at intervals along the backbone. These positive chargescome from ammonium ions in the case of Celquat, UCARE and chitosansalts, but could, in principle, be produced from other substituents aswell.

In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, a superabsorbentpolymer such as FAVOR 880® available from Stockhausen, Inc. 2401 DoyleStreet Greensboro, N.C. 27406 is mixed with the gelling agent (e.g.Celquat, UCARE polymer or chitosan). The result is an increase in theabsorptive properties of fluff or airlaid composites when insulted bysimulant. As shown in Table 3, fluff or airlaid structures containinggelling agents, such as Celquat L-200 or UCARE JR-30M, superabsorbentFavor 880 in a fluff (NB416) or airlaid (NB416 with T-255 fibers) showan increase in absorbency over that of either superabsorbent or gellingagent used separately. Absorbency is the ability of the fabric to holdfluid under a centrifugal load. The absorbency is measured by saturatinga 2-inch diameter fabric sample with 25 ml of simulant for 30 minutes,letting it drain for 5 minutes and then applying a centrifugal load of1200 rpm for 3 minutes and then measuring the weight gain.

TABLE 3 Composition Centrifuge % T-255 % Favor % Celquat Capacity %NB-416 Fluff Binder 880 L-200 (g/g) 90 10 2.61 80 10 10 3.76 87 10 33.66 77 10 10 3 5.13 80 10 10 4.86 70 10 10 10 5.40

For a nonwoven web material having a basis weight of about 150 gsm, atypical composition for incorporation into the nonwoven web material inaccordance with one embodiment of this invention comprises, in % byweight of the composition, in the range of about 60% to about 87% NB416,in the range of about 3% to about 10% celquat, in the range of about 0%to 10% Favor 880, and about 10% of a binder.

Having described the various treatment chemistries suitable for use inthe nonwoven web materials of this invention, it will be apparent tothose skilled in the art that there exist a variety of embodiments ofthis invention which may find application in personal care articles. Forexample, distribution of the treatment chemistry within the nonwoven webmaterial may be uniform. Alternatively, the treatment chemistry may bedistributed within specific zones of the nonwoven web material. Yet afurther alternative may be the distribution of the treatment chemistryin the nonwoven web material in a manner whereby a gradient isestablished within nonwoven web material. The nonwoven material may be amultilayer nonwoven material or laminate in which the desired treatmentchemistry is distributed in fewer than all of the layers in a uniformmanner, in zones or as a gradient. And, it will also be apparent thatcombinations of treatment chemistries may be employed in the nonwovenweb materials of this invention based upon the particular application ofthe material. Without intending to limit the scope of this invention,all of these embodiments are deemed to be within the scope of thisinvention.

1-43. (canceled)
 44. A method for treating menses comprising the steps of: forming a tampon including a nonwoven web material; dispersing at least one treatment chemistry selected from the group consisting of water-soluble gelling agents which crosslink protein, thickening agents, plasma precipitators and combinations thereof within an interior of polyolefin or pulp fibers forming said nonwoven web material; and contacting said at least one treatment chemistry with said menses.
 45. A method in accordance with claim 44, wherein said at least one treatment chemistry is in a form of solid particles.
 46. A method in accordance with claim 44, wherein said at least one treatment chemistry is uniformly dispersed on said portion of said at least one of said surface and said interior of said nonwoven web material.
 47. A method in accordance with claim 44, wherein said nonwoven web material comprises a plurality of nonwoven material layers.
 48. A method in accordance with claim 47, wherein said at least one treatment chemistry is dispersed on less than all of said plurality of nonwoven material layers.
 49. A method in accordance with claim 44, wherein said at least one treatment chemistry is dispersed non-homogeneously within said nonwoven web material.
 50. A method in accordance with claim 44, wherein said nonwoven web comprises a plurality of polymeric fibers.
 51. A method in accordance with claim 50, wherein said treatment chemistry is disposed within an interior of at least a portion of said polymeric fibers.
 52. A method in accordance with claim 44, wherein said nonwoven web material is selected from the group consisting of spunbond, meltblown, bonded carded, airlaid, bonded pulp, unbonded pulp, coform and combinations thereof.
 53. A method in accordance with claim 44, wherein said treatment chemistry comprises the water-soluble gelling agent and a superabsorbent.
 54. A method in accordance with claim 44, wherein said treatment chemistry comprises the water-soluble gelling agent.
 55. A method in accordance with claim 54, wherein said water-soluble gelling agent comprises a polyglycan.
 56. A method for treating menses comprising the steps of: forming a tampon including a nonwoven web material; dispersing at least one treatment chemistry selected from the group consisting of water-soluble gelling agents which crosslink protein, thickening agents, plasma precipitators and combinations thereof within an interior of polyolefin or pulp fibers forming said nonwoven web material; contacting said at least one treatment chemistry with said menses; and wherein said tampon includes a fluid pervious cover sheet, a fluid impervious backsheet, and an absorbent core between them.
 57. A method in accordance with claim 56, wherein said at least one treatment chemistry is disposed along a peripheral region of said absorbent core.
 58. A method in accordance with claim 56, wherein said at least one treatment chemistry is dispersed within at least one of said cover sheet, said backsheet and said absorbent core as to form a gradient therein.
 59. A method in accordance with claim 56, wherein said at least one treatment chemistry comprises the water-soluble gelling agent and a superabsorbent is dispersed in said absorbent core.
 60. A method in accordance with claim 56, wherein said tampon comprises a nonwoven web material selected from the group consisting of airlaid, coform, spunbond, meltblown, bonded carded web, non-bonded pulp, bonded pulp, fibrous web and combinations thereof.
 61. A method in accordance with claim 56, wherein said at least one treatment chemistry is applied to at least one of opposed edges, opposed ends and a center region of said absorbent core.
 62. A method in accordance with claim 56, wherein said tampon comprises at least two opposed side wings to which said at least one treatment chemistry is applied.
 63. A method for treating menses comprising the steps of: forming a tampon including a nonwoven web material; dispersing at least one treatment chemistry selected from the group consisting of water-soluble gelling agents which crosslink protein, thickening agents, plasma precipitators and combinations thereof within an interior of polyolefin or pulp fibers forming said nonwoven web material; contacting said at least one treatment chemistry with said menses; and wherein said tampon includes a fluid pervious cover sheet, a fluid impervious backsheet, and an absorbent core between them, said cover sheet, said backsheet and said absorbent core comprise at least one nonwoven web material comprising a plurality of polymeric fibers having said at least one treatment chemistry disposed within said plurality of polymeric fibers, and at least a portion of said polymeric fibers are bicomponent fibers having said at least one treatment chemistry disposed within one segment of said bicomponent fibers. 